Kalyn Waters, University of Florida Extension, wants to make producers aware of the risk of confusion about dosage and administration of different estrous synchronization products. The addition of a new product in this category increases the need to avoid issues in synchronization successes she says. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, March 7, 2017. One common trade name is the … [Read more...]
Search Results for: cattle
Technology helps replace painful management practices
Technology is moving quickly to help cattlemen reduce the use of traditional management practices that cause needless pain. From individual identification to castration, Bernie Rollin, Colorado State University animal science professor, gives an overview of how cattlemen can continue improving their daily practices. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, March 8, 2017. If asked to … [Read more...]
Who stays. Who goes?
Michelle Arnold, DVM, discusses considerations for culling cows from the herd. Twenty percent of gross receipts in a typical cow-calf operation come from the sale of cull animals. Paying attention to price seasonality and body condition scores is important before sending them to market. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, February 23, 2017. Dr. Arnold offers this list of … [Read more...]
Do you know your livestock breeds?
Here’s a fun test from the folks at Ag Daily. Find out if you know your livestock breeds as well as you think you do. Source: Ag Daily, February 23, 2017. Can you tell the difference between a Chester White and a Berkshire pig? Or spot which herd is Simmental and which one is Limousin cattle? INSIGHTS: If you want to get a full view of livestock breeds around the world, … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content – World’s first commercial Moraxella bovoculi vaccine now available
Addison Biological Laboratory, Inc. announces the approval of the world’s first commercial Moraxella bovoculi vaccine for the prevention of pinkeye in cattle. This USDA-conditionally licensed product is the first of its kind. The product features eight specifically different Moraxella bovoculi isolates and an easily syringeable adjuvant. Source: Addison Biological … [Read more...]
Screwworm eradication: An Interactive View
The parasitic New World screwworm has an interesting history in the United States, and the USDA has developed a series of interactive graphics to illustrate past and present eradication efforts. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, February 15, 2016. The USDA interactive website illustrates the biology of the screwworm fly and uses maps to illustrate past and present eradication … [Read more...]
CWD research a focus of USGS National Wildlife Health Center
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) remains a key focus for research at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC). CWD infects elk, white-tailed deer, and mule deer, but is not known to infect livestock or humans currently. No treatment is known and the disease is typically fatal. With deer harvests complete, the NWHC has updated its map of the distribution of CWD in North … [Read more...]
Get ready for calving season
Calving season is here. It’s stressful for producers, mamas and babies alike. Kevin Gould with the Michigan State University Extension Service, provides a good overview of supplies that are needed and a link to a handy calving fact sheet. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, February 20, 2017. To start, inventory supply needs to happen prior to the calving season and then the … [Read more...]
Temple Grandin added to the National Women’s Hall of Fame
Temple Grandin, Colorado State University and animal sciences professor and world-renowned spokesperson for autism, has been named to the National Women’s Hall of Fame. She is one of only 10 women to receive the honor this year. Source: Colorado State University, February 10, 2017. A professor of animal sciences for more than 20 years, Grandin has made enormous … [Read more...]
Be proactive about calving readiness
I saw the first new calves of the season in a field north of Kansas City this week. It was a reminder that 2017 calving is in full swing. Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Extension specialist, writes about preparing a calving kit. It includes a video Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, January 16, 2017. Before calving season starts, do a “walk-through” of pens, chutes, and … [Read more...]
Hay, plastic bale netting is not roughage
According to Melissa Koesler, Extension director for Garvin County, Oklahoma, a large percentage of producers now use plastic wrapping for hay instead of biodegradable sisal twine. Some of them leave the material in their pastures when feeding, or they grind or shred bales with the bale net in place. Koesler encourages producers to remove plastic netting or twine from bales and … [Read more...]
Sheep Yoda makes heart surgery history
Yoda, a therapy sheep at the Ranch Hand Rescue Counseling Center and Animal Sanctuary, has made history by undergoing Patent Ductus Arteriosus ligation. Sometimes observed in humans after birth, PDA is a heart problem in which the ductus arteriosus blood vessel remains open, which allows blood to recirculate into the lungs. Surgical repair has been done on children, dogs and … [Read more...]
PRRS has lingering negative impact
It is no surprise to learn that PRRS has a measurable long-term impact on pork production and economics. A study by Pablo Valdes-Donoso and Andres Perez, University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, shows that although the number of farms has decreased, and the number of animals and the level of specialization has … [Read more...]
2016 beef stats available in one spot
Ever wonder where’s the beef? This infographic has information galore on the status of the beef herd rebound, production stats, sales prices, trades, exports and more. Source: Progressive Cattleman, January 2017. Overall cattle inventory hit 91.9 million head, a jump of 2.1 million head, or 2.4 percent more than 2015. The U.S. total beef cow inventory also jumped just more … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content – Pathogen-based mastitis management
A pathogen-based approach to managing mastitis uses on-farm cultures to characterize infections within 24 hours. This allows managers to leave some cattle untreated and use lower-cost treatments on some cattle, with lower treatment costs and less waste milk contributing to the cost savings. Boehringer-Ingelheim’s Linda Tikofsky, DVM, and Daryl Nydam, DVM, from Cornell … [Read more...]
Texas expands fever tick quarantine zone
Fever ticks carry Babesia protozoa, which cause cattle fever. It is characterized by acute anemia, high fever, and enlargement of the spleen and liver, ultimately causing death for many infected cattle. Last summer, animal health officials confirmed that the fever ticks, which can carry the protozoa Babesia bovis or B. bigemina, have spread outside the permanent quarantine area … [Read more...]
New NCBA president brings ambition
Incoming National Cattlemen’s Beef Association president Craig Uden brings a history of industry involvement and passion to his new position. He discusses the changes to the beef production business including trade, sustainability and market volatility. Source: Beef, January 2017, page 6. Talking about seeing big picture, Uden said, "I think our key thing is information. We … [Read more...]
Get in line with VFD
January 1st came and brought a new set of rules and questions. This article reconfirms the regulatory details and offers some questions for producers should ask themselves before inspections occur. They include: Did you keep copies of VFD orders for at least two years? Did you feed the authorized number of animals on the VFD order? Did you feed VFD feed for … [Read more...]
Earn $300 more per cow
Kris Ringwall, North Dakota State University Extension, must be good with a calculator. He presents economic factors for cow-calf producers that focus on profit per unit of production. Representatives and veterinarians can use this article to engage producers in a discussion about profit improvement versus input costs. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, January 7, 2017. Success … [Read more...]
Colostrum tips poster available
To ensure adequate absorption of critical antibodies, calves must get colostrum within the first 24 hours of life. Sooner is better than later. Christopher Clark, DVM, and Patrick Gunn, PhD, Iowa State University Extension specialists, have created a handy poster on the important substance. Source: Progressive Cattleman, December 23, 2016 and in the January 2017 print … [Read more...]
BQA injection guidelines reviewed
As the cattle industry scurries to get the paper trails in place for the upcoming VFD requirements, it is a good time to review the importance of proper injection site practices for vaccines, vitamins, minerals, injectable antibiotics and NSAIDs. This article will make good content for blogs, newsletters and websites. Source: Beef, November 2016. Be systematic about how you … [Read more...]
Just add water, plenty of it
Cattle need adequate water in winter to process additional feed that keeps them warm during winter. This article is a good topic to help gin up lively discussions. Source: Beef, October 31, 2016. 'In winter, we often don’t think about water requirements for cattle, but the body’s demand for water is important whether it’s hot or cold,' says Terry Mader, Mader Consulting, … [Read more...]
AAEV hosting BVDV webinars
Research about BVDV and management practices continues. Although we have good working knowledge of BVDV, losses remain substantial across the production channels. Julia Ridpath, PhD, studies BVDV and related pestiviruses at the USDA’s National Animal Disease Center (NADC) in Ames, Iowa. Webinars presented by her are available through the American Association of Extension … [Read more...]
Elephant footprints create microhabitats
Just for fun! A recent study of footprint impressions of the African elephant revealed the water-filled imprints can host mayflies, leeches, tadpoles and more. Source: Scientific American, November 2016. Researchers at Germany's University of Koblenz-Landau and other institutions analyzed the contents of 30 footprint pools in Uganda. They found that at least 61 different … [Read more...]
How the VFD applies to anaplasmosis
Anasplasmois is caused by Anaplasmo marginale, a blood parasite. The parasite is transferred between animals by blood contamination, often caused by blood-sucking insects. It is common in the South and in some parts of the country, clinical anaplasmosis can occur year-round. The new Veterinary Feed Directive allows for treatment. Source: Progressive Cattleman, November, … [Read more...]
Breakers, boners, leans and lights
Cull cows, bulls and cull dairy cows make up about 20 percent of the beef available for consumption in the United States. About half of this group, or 10 percent of the beef supply, comes from cull beef cows. The USDA market news service reports on four classes of cull cows (not destined to be replacements). Learning a bit more about these classifications can impact overall … [Read more...]
Stallions with steady jobs behave better
Jim Brinkman, owner of Pitzer Ranch in Ericson, Nebraska, and equine behaviorist Sue McDonnell, Ph.D., with the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, share their experiences about helping a stallion behave well. Source: AQHA Daily, October 19, 2016. Give him a job. “A stallion is a lot like an 18-year-old-boy. If he’s got a steady job, and he’s a little … [Read more...]
Fly control essential to pinkeye prevention
Fall’s short days and cool nights combined with the grouping of cattle, increases the risk of pinkeye. Fly control is essential to reduce the risk of pinkeye, says A.J. Tarpoff, Kansas State University beef veterinarian. Effective fly control plans may include insecticide sprays, special ear tags or cattle rubs. “Flies work to cause pinkeye in two different ways,” he said. … [Read more...]
Culling open cows effectively
Cull cow weight and price are two of the top factors of profitability in any cow-calf operation. Justin Rhinehart, University of Tennessee Beef Cattle Extension specialist, provides good perspective on the economic importance of open cows in cow-calf operations. Cull timing is presented in detail. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, October 4, 2016. Open cow revenue generally … [Read more...]
NCBA offers free webinar on changing antibiotic regulations October 27
Here’s a resource to share with your cattle customers. Consider having a small group of key customers join you at a clinic, restaurant, community center or such to view the webinar and then discuss implementation of the VFD regulations. It takes place Thursday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m. Central. Source: National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, October 6, 2016. Join the webinar … [Read more...]